Dust to Dust
by cleverwordplay
Summary: (May end up T or M in later chapters) Dia wants to tell Mari how she feels about her. But how can you confess to someone who makes a joke of everything and is blunt with her thoughts? Can Dia overcome her fear of rejection? Meanwhile, Ruby has something important to ask of Dia. Please leave feedback! (Also, feel free to request something if you have a fic you'd like written.)
1. Chapter 1

Dia's mind was racing, her hands shaking with uncertainty on the table in front of her. One hand held a pen, the other held down the corner of a blank piece of paper. So many things she could say, so many words stringing together in her mind to try desperately to explain how she felt, but she couldn't pull together the words to form a sentence. She had never quite seen herself as the love-letter writing type, but there was no way she could bring herself to actually confess in person. Being rejected out loud would be far too agonizing for her. Especially because the one the letter was addressed to, she didn't exactly mince words. No, Mari Ohara had never been a person to think before she spoke, and she was so ruthlessly blunt with her thoughts. Not that it was necessarily a bad thing, but having feelings for such an honest girl could be an experience full of heartache.

Dia's hand started to move, rapidly writing down her thoughts as they came to her. It didn't matter if it was messy, she could rewrite it later and clean it up. She just desperately needed to have the words on paper before they were purged from her mind forever. Her mind was moving faster than her hand could ever possibly, but she tried.

Nearly ten minutes passed, with Dia writing feverishly, before finally, her arm grew tired and she had to stop. That was fine. She felt as though she'd gotten down plenty. Setting the pen down, she lifted the paper to read what she had gotten down.

…..It was terrible. With a heavy sigh, Dia dropped the paper and let her head rest on the table. Why was this so hard? She had been so sure this would be an easy task, writing down how she felt. She _knew_ how she felt, she had been feeling it for quite a while now. It hadn't gone away. So why couldn't it be explained on paper, for someone else to understand?

A knock came at Dia's door, and she frantically lifted her head, hiding the paper under all the other blank papers she had around her. A little head peeked in through the door and looked around. "Onee-chan?" Ruby said quietly from the doorway.

"Come in, Ruby," Dia said with a smile, turning to face her. The younger girl stepped in and closed the door behind her, stepping forward and sitting in front of Dia. It always calmed Dia to just sit and talk with her sister, and she would always welcome a nice conversation with her.

"Um… There's something I need to talk to you about," Ruby said as she sat in front of Dia, each of them facing the other. The dark-haired girl glanced to the side to ensure that her love letter was hidden. "It's not something bad, is it?" Dia asked, slightly furrowing her brows in concern.

"No! Well, hm... _I_ don't think it's bad."

"Let's hear it then."

The younger girl took a moment, as if thinking of what to say. Finally, she spoke, apprehensively. "I wanted to ask you first, and make sure it was okay with you that I date-"

"Absolutely not."

Ruby looked taken aback for a moment at having been cut off with such a certain answer. "Why- Wait, but I didn't even finish what I was saying!"

Dia sighed and closed her eyes. Wasn't Ruby too young to be dating anyways? And far too pure, for that matter. She was just a child in Dia's eyes, but maybe…. Maybe that was unfair. After all, Ruby was a teenager now, and she wouldn't be asking for her permission if she wasn't interested in it, right? "Fine, finish your sentence." She conceded, finally, opening her eyes back up to look at her adorable younger sister.

Ruby smiled, hopeful that it was a sign of Dia wanting to say yes to this. Honestly, Ruby was probably going to do it whether her sister said it was okay or not. It would just have to be a secret if she didn't agree.

"I wanted to make sure it was okay with you that I date Chika-chan." She paused, seeing Dia's eyes widen in surprise, but quickly continued before Dia could say anything. "She confessed to me and I really want to accept it, but I wanted to be sure it was okay with you first."

The older girl was surprised by the name mentioned. Chika… She would never have guessed that the two of them would be interested in each other, but maybe she hadn't been too observant lately. Looking back, they had been spending a lot of time together in the past few weeks. She had guessed it had just been CYaRon things, but it seemed not. Dia wanted to say no anyways, but it wouldn't be fair. She trusted Chika, and Ruby had clearly stated she really wanted to say yes to her. Besides, would it really be fair to her to deny Ruby the right to date someone she likes, then go out and make a confession of her own?

"...Fine, I approve," she said at last, admitting defeat. "But you have to promise to tell me if anything bad happens."

Ruby took Dia's hands gently, a big smile on her face. It was so reassuring to have her big sister's approval on anything. It made it feel right. "Thank you, onee-chan." She gave Dia a hug before she stood up and practically skipped out of the room, presumably to go call Chika, or maybe Hanamaru first.

When her door was shut, Dia immediately sighed and laid back on her floor. Ruby in love… What a bittersweet surprise. And with Chika, that really made it bittersweet. She hoped that everything went well for them, she didn't want to have to stand up for Ruby against someone they were both close to.

Dia wished she had courage like Chika did. That girl was always able to say clearly what she wanted, without any shame or fear. Dia envied her for that. She couldn't find the courage to speak her mind that way. At least, not in this sense… The fear of rejection was far too strong.

With new determination, she sat up and turned back to the table, motivated again to write this love letter to Mari, and get her feelings down on paper. She just had to have a basic outline, and she could come back and make it flow nicely another time.


	2. Chapter 2

_If the sun were torn from the sky, the world would be cold and dull._

 _No one would want to leave the comfort of their beds, the last trace of warmth left in the world._

 _When a fire burns out, the room is left dark and empty._

 _Your smile is my fire, my shining sun._

 _If the world were stripped of its music and its melodies, it would be far too sad._

 _A silent, numb place without any happiness to be found, lonely and lacking._

 _When a person loses something special, their happiness is hard to find._

 _Your laughter is my something special, music to my ears._

 _When I see your eyes, aglow with passion and excitement for everything, my heart beats faster than I ever imagined it could have._

 _The thought of you being upset brings an evil unease to my stomach, unsubdued until I picture your smile again._

 _I see you in my dreams at night, your soft, surreal hand entwined with mine, your beautiful, cascading golden waterfall of blonde hair falling softly over my shoulders as we lie on the ocean._

 _I wake up missing you, wishing the dream could be real, wishing I had the courage to tell you how I feel._

 _The smooth, delicate curves of your body make my heart swell in adoration._

 _The sound of your voice, even with your awful jokes and terrible teasing, makes my stomach churn, the butterflies trying desperately to escape and kiss you._

 _I treasure your generosity, your sense of humor, your intelligence._

 _I marvel at your big heart, your curiosity, your need to please._

 _I cherish the way your lips curl when you're happy, the way your eyebrows lift when you're sad or worried, the surprising tenderness hidden under your exterior._

 _I admire your carefree spirit, your neverending confidence, the way you're so sure of yourself._ _You don't second guess anything, and you don't regret your mistakes too much._

 _You don't let anything get to you, and for that, and all these other things, I've fallen for you._ _I used to wish it wasn't true, worrying that it may ruin our friendship, or be the wrong thing to do, but I'm taking a chance, because I can't keep these strong feelings bottled up forever._

 _Ohara Mari, do you accept my confession?_

 _With love, Kurosawa Dia._

* * *

Dia had never intended for it to be so poetic, but she didn't know how else to explain it than with comparisons. She still felt as though this piece of paper couldn't quite capture her true feelings for the blonde, but it would have to do. After all, it had been three weeks already since Dia had begun to write the letter. Finally, she was as satisfied as she'd ever be with it.

Chika and Ruby had been together for three weeks now, and they were still in their honeymoon phase. The lovey-dovey, always together, syrupy sweet stage. The entire group new about it, and everyone was supportive. Naturally, Mari teased them about it, in the way that she would with anyone. When it had first begun, Dia was a little overbearing, used to being overprotective. Around the middle of the second week, she finally came to terms with it. She saw how clearly they liked each other, and Dia was more agreeable, less stubborn about it. They really were precious together. And it made Dia's heart happy to see her sweet sister so happy.

On a different note, she still hadn't figured out how to give the letter to Mari. Should she send it in the mail? Leave it in Mari's locker? Put it in her desk? Give it directly to her? There were just so many options, and none of them really seemed perfect. Dia needed it to be perfect. She felt she had to really impress the blonde, so the other girl understood how strong her feelings were. Perhaps she could orchestrate something, some perfect plan. Oh, yes… this may actually work.


	3. Chapter 3

Mari had been thinking about it all day. A strange note left in her desk, anonymously. She hadn't seen who had done it, and apparently nobody else had. Plenty of students waited in the classroom before class started, so perhaps whoever left it had placed it there the night before. But who would have had access to it at that time?

" _Go to the little tree in the corner of the courtyard, 6pm._ "

Such a vague note, yet it truly did pique the blonde girl's insatiable curiosity. She had talked to both Kanan and Dia about it, and they'd just suggested to check it out, but to be careful. Currently, it was 5:51 in the evening, and she was standing in the courtyard, nervous to approach the tree. She squinted, and didn't see anything too special about it from where she stood. Her need to know overwhelmed her nerves, and she approached it carefully, as per her best friends' instructions.

When she finally stood close enough to it, she saw a little envelope on the soil underneath the tree, and of course, it had her name written on it. Quickly, she snatched it up and ripped it open. Eyes wide with excitement, she pulled the piece of paper out from within. Unfolding it, she read what was written inside.

" _I'm glad you came. I knew you would. I have a little scavenger hunt for you, with something very important left at the end. Your second destination is the student council room._ "

Mari made a face, feeling a glorious mixture of emotions. The thrill of the chase, it excited her and annoyed her all at once. It couldn't just be simple? Then again, when had Mari ever enjoyed things being simple and straightforward? This made whatever this was much more fun~!

With a skip in her step, she made her way to the student council room. At this time of night, it was unlikely Dia would be there. There wasn't anything going on at the moment that would keep her there late, especially since Mari had kept up on her own work this time, so the other girl didn't have to do that too. Still, she knocked on the door when she reached it.

After waiting for a moment and not receiving an answer, she confirmed her suspicions that Dia wasn't there. She opened the door slowly and stepped in, looking around. The student council room wasn't open to everyone, so there weren't many people this could be. She stepped forward and heard a crinkling sound. She looked down to see the envelope beneath her foot, looking as though it had been slid under the door. She pouted. That meant it actually could be anyone.

She bent down and picked up the envelope, going over and sitting on the desk to annoy Dia, even though she wasn't there. It was a habit. She paused before reading the letter, taking a moment to write a note to Dia, so when the dark haired girl next came to the student council room, she could see Mari had been there.

" _My butt touched your desk~ ;P You're welcome._ "

She left the note taped right in front of the chair, so it could be seen immediately upon sitting down. Getting back to the task at hand, she ripped open the envelope and pulled out the paper.

" _Destination number three will be the beach. This letter will be taped onto a light post._ "

Mari hopped up off the desk, ready to make her way to the beach. Luckily, it was warm out today. A good thing, too, because she hadn't brought a coat or umbrella, in case it begun to rain. The sky was clear and beautiful! Why bother?

The beach's letter had led her to three more locations, before finally, she ended up at the top of the staircase, overviewing the sea. She stopped for a moment to admire the view, before looking around for the letter. She spotted it on a bench near the edge, and picked it up, taking over its spot with her butt.

She ripped open the letter, immediately seeing that this one was much longer than any of those before it. Within reading the first paragraph, she understood vaguely what was going on. A love letter, it seemed. It made her heart race to think that maybe it was… No, probably not. Dia would never do something like this.

Yes, it was true, she admitted it. She had feelings for Dia, and she was completely unable to deny it. She hadn't ever said anything about it, but wow, that girl made her heart just feel so full. How she reacted when being teased, the way she liked to pretend she was so much tougher than she really was, her secret silly side. Everything about her made the blonde girl feel so warm and amorous.

Mari continued to read the letter, her curiosity growing more and more intense with each sentence that she read. It was so flattering to read such nice words about yourself, and it really was inflating her ego. Poor Dia and Kanan would have to deal with her being even more bigheaded the next day. Whoops.

Finishing the letter, her eyes widened. She could swear, her heart stopped. She reread the name at the end of the letter over a hundred times. Kurosawa Dia. No way. There was no way. This couldn't be real. Putting the letter down on her lap, Mari pinched herself hard, letting out a yelp of surprise when she actually felt it. This really was happening.

She stood up ridiculously fast, putting one final destination on today's adventure. She had to get to Dia somehow and talk to her. Her legs were getting tired, from all the walking she'd done, but this was too important to put off. Dia returned her secret feelings? How exciting.

After a walk that seemed way too long, she finally reached Dia's house and rang the doorbell. She was hoping it would be Dia that answered the door, but instead, it was her father. She asked if she could come in to talk to the other about something important, and he let her in without question.

Mari climbed the stairs faster than she'd ever climbed a set of stairs, throwing Dia's door open and stepping in, closing it behind her.

"Wha- Mari!" Dia yelled out in surprise, her face turning a shockingly bright red, knowing that Mari had gotten the letter. It was in her hand, after all. This was it, she was going to be laughed at, and then she would just die on the spot of embarrassment.

Instead, Mari tackled Dia with her full weight, knocking her over in the most passionate hug ever given between anyone in the history of the world. Maybe that was an exaggeration, but Mari didn't care at all.

For a long time, neither of them said anything. The blonde just hugged the other girl with all her might, and Dia reluctantly hugged her back, her heart pounding nervously.

"Why didn't you ever tell me?" Mari finally asked, closing her eyes and refusing to pull away from her hug with the girl she loved. "I feel the same way."

Dia felt her heart pound harder, and was quite sure that Mari could feel it banging against her ribcage too, trying to escape and go to the blonde. "You do?" she said in a hoarse whisper, clearing her throat before trying again. "You do?" That was better. "Wait, then- why didn't _you_ tell _me?!_ You're supposed to be good at that sort of thing."

"I couldn't figure out the right way to do it. Everything you do is so perfect, Dia, and you deserve the best," she admitted, putting a hand to the back of the darker haired girl's head, petting her pretty hair. "And I couldn't figure out how to say it in a way as perfect as it should be for you. And I didn't want you to not take me seriously. So I'm glad you did it, and it was so perfectly done and so unexpected of you. Of course I accept your confession. Let's go out, Dia."

Dia's face turned red, yet again, her heart skipping a beat so many times it may as well have stopped. She buried her face into Mari's shoulder, shutting her eyes tightly and holding onto her. "How could I say no to that?"

In this very moment, each of them considered themselves the luckiest girl in the entire world.


	4. Chapter 4

Obviously, Kanan had noticed. She had noticed two weeks ago that Dia and Mari were starting to spend more and more time together. Their attitudes hadn't really changed at all, except Mari seemed to be more set on harassing Dia than anyone else. At first, it didn't seem like anything to the blunette. She'd simply thought that maybe they were just bonding, which was good. They were close friends, they should hang out. But after an entire week had passed, it had started to get suspicious.

And of course, Kanan wasn't exactly stupid, she knew exactly what was going on. She knew they were dating. It didn't make it any less obvious that she had seen them sneaking little smiles at each other, and Mari was often trying to hold Dia's hand, or they'd exchange a secret little kiss when they thought no one was looking. What Kanan didn't know was why they weren't announcing it. How had Dia managed to get Mari to keep her mouth shut about it? What was the point of keeping it secret? It's not like anyone would judge them, or laugh at them. After all, Ruby and Chika had been together for nearly two months, and everyone was incredibly supportive of them. So why?

Kanan wondered if maybe they were keeping it secret because they didn't want to make her feel left out. Well, mission failed. She felt both excluded and slightly bothered that they didn't seem to trust her. Perhaps she was just a little jealous. Only a smidge. Not that she liked either of them that way, but she just felt like a third wheel whenever they were together now. And after all, Mari and Dia were her best friends, she shouldn't feel like she didn't belong there when she was with either or both of them.

It really did make her feel lonely though. She felt that way beforehand, and now that they were together, and Chika and Ruby were together, she felt like everyone had someone except for her. You and Riko were best friends, Hanamaru and Yoshiko were best friends. Kanan was the odd one out this time, and she kind of hated it.

"Kanan~!" a familiar voice called out, on the roof behind her. She knew it was Mari from the way she said it, so she didn't bother to turn around. The blonde came and stood beside her, leaning forward on the railing. "It's a pretty view, don't you think?"

When no answer came, she sighed, and Kanan could just tell she was pouting. "What's wrong?" Mari asked her, turning to look at her with her brows furrowed in concern.

The diver hesitated for a while, wondering if it was worth it to bring it up. She wanted to know for sure, and would like an answer of why it was being kept secret. "Why haven't you told anyone?" She finally asked, turning her head to meet Mari's eyes.

The golden orbs blinked in confusion and surprise. The confusion was feigned, the surprise was real. Mari was a good actress, but Kanan had known her too long. She could see right through her. "Tell anyone what?"

"That you and Dia are dating," she said, pausing after, watching Mari's face. She didn't look shocked, so that confirmed her suspicions that it was true. She just looked taken aback by the fact that Kanan knew. "I can tell. You've been together a lot, and I've seen you holding hands. And I know you two really well. So why are you keeping it secret?"

The blonde sighed through her nose, turning and leaning her back against the railing, looking up at the clear blue sky. "Dia wanted to wait a month before telling anyone, to make sure that it's not going to be a silly little high school fling or something," she explained nonchalantly, waving her hand a little. "I don't quite understand it, but I'll do as she asks, because she was so adamant about it. _**It's secret!**_ " She added the last part in English.

"Why didn't you at least tell me? I'm sure you knew I would figure it out," she said with a soft frown, looking back out over the horizon. She could see a lot from here. It really was a nice view.

"That part was my idea," she said, sounding strangely proud for something that Kanan would consider to be bad. Mari had a habit of doing that. "I thought it would be unfair of us to make you the only one to know about her and me, because then if we had a problem, we'd go to you. And it wouldn't be fair to make you our therapist, or make you feel like a third wheel. But since you figured it out, that makes my plan moot, huh?"

Kanan nodded, smiling lightly. Perhaps she really did know Dia and Mari too well for their own goods. They couldn't keep anything secret with her around. "What did you come up here for, Mari?"

"Oh, right. I was just wondering where you were," she explained. "You disappeared earlier, and I missed you~. Come on, come hang out with everyone." She grabbed Kanan's hand and started to pull her to the door leading off the roof, practically skipping. "They're all waiting."


	5. Chapter 5

In the while they'd been dating, there were three very important things Dia had learned about Mari's sleep habits. First, she refused to sleep with pants on. It was either a nightie, or just a tshirt. Dia had been refusing to let her sleep naked when they were having sleepovers, though Mari suggested it each time. Second, the more tired she got, the less annoying she was. There was a small stage in between 'perfectly awake' and 'ready for bed' where she would get incredibly obnoxious, much like a toddler. She was always the first to fall asleep, too. Third, she was absolutely perfect when she slept, and it was totally unfair.

Dia laid there in the dark, beside the blonde in her bed in her enormous hotel room that she'd grown used to, admiring her sleeping face. Her face was so peaceful, it was a nice break from her usual loud demeanor. Her head was rested gently on the unnecessarily expensive pillow, her beautiful, bright eyes closed. Her lips were parted slightly, and somehow even the small dribble of sleepy drool making its way to her pillowcase was absolutely perfect. The way her hair looked in the soft moonlight, messed up a little from moving in her sleep, the way her hand rested just next to her face. Dia couldn't help but lift her hand and play with the soft tresses of blonde hair splayed around her head.

Moments like this were precious to Dia, and she truly treasured the secrecy of these moments. Where she could admire Mari without being teased about it, or being embarrassed at all for any reason. It was reassuring to be able to sit and look at her and think about all the reasons why she was in love with her. She rarely vocalized to Mari how much she appreciated her, but she was beginning to wonder if she should say so more often.

A quiet giggle shook the dark haired girl from her thoughts, her hand freezing and her eyes snapping up to look at Mari's face again, seeing that her eyes were open. She braced herself for teasing incoming.

"Can't sleep, hm, Dia?" asked Mari's sleepy voice as Dia pulled her hand away from her hair. "Too busy admiring me?" She snuggled into the other, getting real close and wrapping her long legs around one of Dia's.

"Oh, would you quit it?" she said, feigning annoyance as she used her hand to keep a kissy-faced Mari at bay. "Who cares if I was? I catch you staring all the time."

"I know, I just appreciate it," she said with a smile, leaning back away from Dia's hand. "It makes me sure that you feel the same about me that I do about you, and it helps me not to feel insecure about us when I catch you. _**Kiss?**_ "

Dia sighed and gave in, leaning in to press her lips gently to Mari's, closing her eyes. The blonde happily did the same, reaching over to grab onto her girlfriend's hand, swiftly interlocking their fingers. Her legs still holding one of Dia's captive, she moved close, pressing their bodies as close as she could get them. Dia allowed herself to get lost in the kiss, putting her free hand up and gently touching her girlfriend's soft neck with her fingertips.

Eventually, the blonde pulled away, unable to stop herself from smiling so big, it nearly hurt. She felt giddy and lightheaded, her heart fluttering like crazy. Every time they kissed, Mari felt like her brain wasn't working. Was that why people say 'stupid in love?' Slowly, she opened her golden eyes and looked at Dia, her smile growing wider when she saw that she was smiling too.

" _ **Cuuuute~!**_ " Mari exclaimed, pulling her adorable girlfriend in for a huge hug, immediately putting her face to Dia's chest, earning a slap to the head but ignoring it in favor of pressing breasts to her cheeks.

"Jeez, Mari, don't you have any interests other than breasts?" Dia huffed, her cheeks tinted red from gentle embarrassment.

"Of course I do, I also like butts," she replied, muffled by the brunette's chest, earning a roll of Dia's eyes. She moved her face away to lay on her pillow again. "But I do like plenty of other things. Coffee, dessert, naps. And speaking of naps…" She trailed off, pausing to yawn. "I'm still very tired."

Dia nodded, reaching over and gently touching the other girl's pretty blonde locks again. "I know. And I am too, so we should go to sleep. I'm sorry to have woken you up."

"Don't be silly, Dia, I got to kiss you. That makes up for everything," she smiled and grabbed her hand, pulling it to her lips and pressing a tiny kiss to her fingertips with a wink. "Good night."

"Good night, Mari," Dia whispered, watching as she closed her eyes.


End file.
